Local Eats: The Asheville Public

It's been nearly six months now that I've been bumbling around Asheville and I have yet to do a local review. Bad food blogger, tsk tsk. To make up for it, here is a recent spot I tried out for brunch one lazy Saturday - The Asheville Public. Reviews on Yelp were mixed, not a good sign, but the other half wanted to give the place a fair shot so we went and sampled. And in all honesty, I don't think they deserve the lousy two stars awarded to them on Yelp. They are at least a three star joint. The decor is delightful, a mix and match of old diner and modern deco, and the food portions are more on the French style than the American style (good for the waistline). The location is sweet if you want to avoid the congestion of tourist-clogged downtown Asheville, and next door is the hippie flea market for any shoppers wanting to walk off their brunch.

The shining star of our brunch - their Porky Bloody Mary. Yum, yum, yum. Every once in a while I am blessed in enjoying the beauty of a damn good bloody mary and The Asheville Public definitely serves up one of the best I've had in ages. They are on their A-game with their bloody marys, especially with the added pork fat rimmed glass salted with old bay seasoning and scrumptious beef jerky spear keeping the tomato juice happy.

I opted for their huevos rancheros while the hubby had the steak and eggs. Even with the portions being more on the demi side, the dishes were fairly good without being stellar. The huevos rancheros consisted of refried black beans, topped with a poached egg, and various garnishments all sitting within a (in my case, stale) tortilla cup.  The steak and eggs were tasty, however the menu advertised hashbrowns while oily breakfast potatoes were what ended up on the plate. And both of us were hungry again within a few hours, so take note not to go expecting a belly-full. All in all I'd try their brunch again and maybe swing in for a dinner or two as well before I write them off. If for their swanky diner decor more than anything. Enjoy!